Monday, November 28, 2011

Guide and Inspire

I am back blogging again after a break.

Last week I arrived back from a trip to the
UK and in the pack of held mail left by the Post Office I found my
November Toastmasters magazine. In it was an article called ‘Dare to Delegate’
by Judith E. Pearson. The first thing that struck me in this article was the
sentence

‘Since Toastmasters leaders cannot hire or
fire, they must instead guide and inspire.’

Toastmasters is a
voluntary organisation so indeed leaders cannot hire and fire but many
universities are in a similar position in that it is difficult to compel
academics to do anything.

The second is the importance of appealing
to people’s needs and values.

Some academics may see gender equality as
an important value in itself, consistent with a commitment to fairness, others
may see it as benefitting their institution, and there are some for whom the
only effective appeal is to self-interest, for example, not following the rules
can lead to wasting time, energy and money in sorting out the consequent mess.

You do not have to be in a recognised
leadership position to promote gender equality but if you want to be effective
then “guide and inspire” and tailor your message to the recipients actual needs
and values and not to what you think they ought to be.

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About Me

After working for many years as a research physicist, I became a part-time project officer with the Women in Science, Engineering and Technology Initiative (WiSETI) at the University of Cambridge in the UK. I've also been a member of the steering group of the Cambridge AWiSE networking for women in SET. I am now based in New Zealand.